Chelsea will be in Champions League action against Red Bull Salzburg on Tuesday evening.
The London giants are currently top of Group E with seven points, one ahead over Salzburg. They are a further three points in front of AC Milan and Dinamo Zagreb. A victory at the Red Bull Arena tomorrow would confirm their place in the round of 16 of the competition. Potter’s men would also guarantee top spot in their group if Zagreb fail to beat Milan. Chelsea have the head-to-head advantage over Milan.
Here is how Chelsea are expected to line up against Red Bull Salzburg:
Goalkeeper: Kepa Arrizabalaga made two vital saves to deny Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford on Saturday but was unlucky to concede a late equaliser. Potter reserved special praise for him after the 1-1 Premier League draw and the Spaniard is expected to keep his place in goal ahead of Edouard Mendy.
Cucurella dropped
Defence: Potter started with a back three of Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva and Marc Cucurella against United, but quickly switched to a traditional four-man defence as the latter struggled with his positioning. Cucurella could now be dropped for an additional midfielder particularly with Kalidou Koulibaly on the sidelines with a knee injury. Cesar Azpilicueta and Ben Chilwell should be the full-backs tomorrow.
Midfield: Potter opted to start Mateo Kovacic on the bench last weekend owing to his own knee issue but he was brought on after just 35 minutes for Cucurella. We predict the same three-man midfield of Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Jorginho against Salzburg. Chelsea were all over the place defensively versus United until the tactical switch was implemented.
Sterling and Aubameyang benched
Attack: Mason Mount should be a confirmed starter for Potter despite failing to contribute a goal or an assist in the last two meetings. In the three games prior to that, he bagged two goals and four assists. However, the Englishman may have different attacking partners. Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be benched with Christian Pulisic and Armando Broja, who won a crucial penalty on Saturday, getting the nod.
Expected Chelsea line-up against Red Bull Salzburg
